by John Snyder
“Great to see you, Tom. When did you get in?”
“Just a while ago.”
“Have you seen your father yet?”
Embarrassed, he admitted that he hadn’t, making the excuse that he stayed with Mary while Howard and Emma paid their respects. He was caught off-guard by all the adulation his father was receiving. He started to have the feeling that he was missing something. I need to meet this man, he thought.
Pulling Emma off to the side, he said, “I think I’m going to go up and visit with Dad for a while.”
Astonished, Emma lit up with a broad smile. “I’ll go with you.”
“Actually, I’d like to go up alone if you don’t mind. After all I’ve heard, there are some important things I need to say to him.”
“I understand.”
Tom climbed the stairs apprehensively, pondering what he would say to his father. As he entered the room, Jacob looked at him as if he was going to have another heart attack.
“Hello, my son! You are the last person I expected to see.”
“Dad, I came to say how sorry I am for misjudging you. You were seeking my forgiveness; now I’m seeking yours. Can you forgive me?”
“No need for me to forgive you. You have done nothing wrong as far as I am concerned. It is I who need your forgiveness.”
Tom began to weep, as did Jacob.
“Dad, I forgive you for everything. I’m so sorry I’ve treated you so poorly.”
“Don’t worry about it, Tom. Your forgiveness is more special to me than you could ever imagine. My journey is now complete.”
“I just wish that Mom and Frankie could be here with us,” Tom told his father.
“They are. They visited me last night. Your mom hasn’t changed a bit after all these years.”
“But, Dad. That’s impossible. They’re—”
“I know, son. It must have been a dream.”
Jacob’s and Tom’s sweet reunion was interrupted when Emma, Mary, Howard, and Bob entered the room. Mary, happy to see her grandfather, sprinted over to Jacob and jumped up in the bed.
“Grandpa! I love you so much. I thought you were going to die.”
“Don’t worry about me. I’m not going anywhere.”
They all laughed.
“Uh-oh, here comes the sergeant, Nurse Audrey,” Jacob said as he chuckled.
“Sorry, but Mr. McCallum needs his rest. I’m going to have to kick you all out of here. Besides, children aren’t even supposed to be in here. You can visit him again tomorrow afternoon,” she said, not unkindly.
* * *
On Christmas Day, Jacob’s room was overflowing with family and friends. They even managed to sneak Mary in again to see him. This made the day extra special for both of them. Christmas music played quietly on the radio Emma brought.
“Emma?”
“Yes, Dad?”
“Since I wasn’t around, and didn’t get to dance with you at your wedding, I was wondering if you would honor me with a dance.”
Emma became emotional. “I would be honored.”
Tom and Howard helped Jacob to his feet. He reached out and brought Emma to his chest. As they danced, there wasn’t a dry eye in the room. Toward the end of the song, Mary joined in, wrapping her arms around both of them.
The room filled with well-wishers. Nurse Audrey turned a blind eye—not that she could have controlled the situation anyhow. Later in the day, Bob Parsley arrived.
“Merry Christmas. Here’s a gift for you,” he said to Jacob.
“Bob, you didn’t have to go and do that.”
“Shush…and open it,” he said, laughing.
The box was wrapped neatly with an attractive bow. Jacob looked bewildered. He opened the accompanying card, staring at its cover. Then, he read it aloud. “You can’t forgive without love, nor can you love without forgiveness.” Turning the page, he continued reading. “Forgiveness can never change the past, but it can certainly change the future. We all hope you enjoy a bright future with your new friends and family. Merry Christmas!”
Jacob grew serious, looking around the room at the friends and family that surrounded him, his eyes moist. “How am I ever going to thank all of you?”
The subdued interlude was lightened as Mary yelled, “Open your present, Grandpa!”
The room exploded in laughter.
“Okay. Okay!” Jacob replied, grinning from ear to ear.
He carefully unwrapped the gift.
“What is it?” Mary asked.
Her mother touched her on the shoulder. “Be patient.”
Jacob removed the gift from the box, revealing the bell he’d rung on the streets of Baltimore with so much love and enthusiasm. Bob had retrieved it from the snow the day Mary went missing. Jacob couldn’t resist and he began ringing it. After a few rings, he stopped and looked at the side of the bell. He discovered that Bob had had it engraved—JACOB’S BELL. He laughed out loud and proceeded to ring it as loud as he could. Spontaneously, those in the room began putting money in the gift box. Even the nurses and doctors in the hospital came in the room to give. The box overflowed as money fell out onto the bed. Emma and Tom looked at each other, contented. Nurse Audrey stood in the corner, her arms crossed over her chest, shaking her head while smiling at Jacob. Jacob looked at her and gave her a wink.
* * *
Through the innocent eyes of a child, Jacob was not judged. Mary saw him as a generous and compassionate man who gave lovingly of himself to help others. She was blind to Jacob’s transgressions and did not persecute him for his past. Because of what Mary witnessed, Jacob’s children were able to see a new man in their father—a man born again out of a tragic past, a man freed from guilt and now forgiven. Oh, what a glorious day this was for Jacob McCallum.
Jacob fully recovered and took up residence with Emma and her family. His relationship with his children and Mary blossomed into a wonderful and fulfilling kinship. He and Mary were inseparable. Jacob, with the help of his granddaughter, continued his work with Bob Parsley and the Salvation Army as each Christmas season approached. Christmas of 1944 was the best day of Jacob’s life, for on this day he received the true gift of forgiveness. He lived happily for another six years before his heart failed him, and his soul was reunited with Amanda and Frankie.
Jacob has been gone for almost seventy years now, but his bell still sits atop his Bible on a bookshelf in the family home, now occupied by Mary, her daughter, and three grandchildren. Jacob’s Bell could never be silenced, though, because he rang it with such love and compassion. Each Christmas, thousands of bells, just like Jacob’s, ring to remind us that Christmas is a time for giving…and a time for forgiving.
To this day in Baltimore, in the still of December’s night air, if one listens carefully, the faint ringing of Jacob’s Bell can be heard in the distance.
Acknowledgments
This book would not have been possible without the understanding, patience, and encouragement of my family—beginning with my wife, Ruth Ellen; my daughters, Nikki and Carli; my grandson and granddaughter, Wyatt and Quinn; and my sister and brother, Darleen and Joe. I also want to thank FaithWords for this wonderful opportunity, and Keren Baltzer, my editor, for all of her help and support. To my many friends who encouraged me to keep writing and not to quit, among them Jamie Raab and Brian Avery, thank you. And finally, to my best friend and furry companion boxer, Finnigan, who lay at my feet for hundreds of hours while I wrote this book.
About the Author
John Snyder is the author of the bestseller The Golden Ring. He is a member of the Authors Guild. Before retiring, he owned and operated an award-winning public relations/advertising/sports marketing firm in the Baltimore, MD/Washington, DC area for nearly twenty-five years. His firm worked with and represented some of the world’s top professional athletes, sports franchises (including the Washington Capitals of the NHL, the Washington Bullets of the NBA, and top INDYCAR teams, NASCAR teams, and teams in other prominent racing series), as we
ll as nationally televised sporting events.
When not writing, John enjoys spending time with family and friends, camping, hiking, golfing, auto racing (he has raced karts—capable of speeds in excess of 100 mph, pit crewed in the Indianapolis 500, and operated the driver communications board from the wall at the edges of speedways across the United States for his former client, two-time Indy 500 winner and national auto racing champion Al Unser, Jr.). John lives in North Carolina with his wife, Ruth Ellen. Contact him at [email protected] and find out more at www.johnsnyder.net.
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